I left after what seemed an hour. I put my contacts in to hide my silver eyes and to be able to see.

“Kasumi will kill me if she comes here for the Vytal Festival.” The Violet-eyed girl finally said. I didn't say anything. I walked out of my dorm room and headed towards the cafeteria. I heard Dan talking.

“So there is one girl that puts fear into me. Her name is Autum.” Dan told Ruby. “She can and has kicked my ass from Atlas to Menagerie, I'm not joking.”

“I can believe that.” The Silver-eyed huntress replied to the Cowboy Huntsman.

“Where is she from?” Ruby asked him.

I could see Dan's afraid of this Autum girl. “She's… from Atlas and she’s my childhood bully.”

Dan's afraid of a girl. The Guy that's too stubborn for his good to use a weapon is scared of a girl.

I listened quietly from the hallway as Dan talked about Autum. His voice, usually full of bravado, had a hint of fear in it. “She’s… from Atlas,” he said, almost reluctantly. The fact that someone like Dan, who never backs down from a fight, is afraid of this girl is surprising.

Autum, the girl who could copy her opponent’s weapon and Semblance. I could see why she’d be a nightmare to face, especially for someone like Dan, who relies on his raw strength and resilience. If she could mimic those traits, it would be like fighting a mirror image of himself, but with even more tricks up her sleeve.

The thought of her chainsaw-sword hybrid was intimidating enough. It was a brutal weapon, and in the hands of someone who could replicate any other weapon or ability, it was even more terrifying. I could understand why Dan would feel uneasy, but it was still strange to see him like this—vulnerable, almost.

I walked into the cafeteria, making my presence known. Ruby noticed me first and gave a small wave. Dan turned and gave me a nod, his usual bravado quickly returning as if he hadn’t just been talking about his fears.

“Hey, Corey,” Ruby greeted me with her usual cheerfulness. “We were just talking about Dan’s scary friend from Atlas.”

“Scary isn’t the word,” Dan muttered, trying to play it off, but I could see the tension in his shoulders.

I nodded but didn’t say anything. I wasn’t the type to give reassurances or offer advice, especially when I had my worries to deal with. But it was good to know that even someone like Dan had fears. It made him more… human, I guess.

As I grabbed my food and sat down, I found myself thinking about Autum. A girl who could copy any weapon and Semblance… She was someone to watch out for, especially if she was as skilled as Dan made her out to be. I made a mental note to stay on her good side if she ever crossed our path.

For now, though, I focused on eating and mentally preparing for whatever else Beacon had in store for us. I'm glad I'm not afraid of anything. I was a terrorist before, I was a White Fang member but I'm not going to get on that topic just yet.  Next up was Azu. I wonder what her story is.

She sat down. Her piercing red eyes reminded me of a Grimm. “Man, this place is great.” I looked at her.

I stayed silent and sipped my coffee. I made sure to put a lot of Irish Cream into it. Dan was afraid of a girl, Sumire and her sister Kasumi are from Vacou. Auz is strange, to say the least. She mixed all of her food into a smoothie. I like my coffee to taste like cream.

As I sat there, sipping my coffee, I couldn’t help but observe Azu. She had this energy about her—one that didn’t quite fit in with the rest of us. It wasn’t just her piercing red eyes, though those were hard to ignore; it was the way she carried herself like she was always analyzing everything and everyone around her.

“Man, this place is great,” Azu said, her voice breaking the silence that had settled over our table. She didn’t seem to mind that I hadn’t said much. She was more than content with the sound of her voice.

I watched as she mixed all her food into a smoothie, completely unfazed by how bizarre it looked. It was a strange habit, but I didn’t question it. Azu was… unique, to say the least.

Dan raised an eyebrow at her concoction but didn’t say anything. He was probably still trying to shake off the thought of Autum. Ruby, on the other hand, watched Azu with a mix of curiosity and slight disgust. “Is that… good?” she asked hesitantly.

Azu grinned, showing off her teeth. “It’s efficient,” she said as if that explained everything. She took a big gulp of the smoothie, seemingly unbothered by the strange combination of flavors.

I sipped my coffee again, feeling the warmth of the Irish Cream mix through me. It was my small comfort, my little ritual. Azu’s behavior didn’t faze me—it was just one more thing to add to the growing list of peculiarities among my new team. Dan was afraid of a girl who could copy abilities, Sumire had a tragic past, and Azu was… well, Azu.

Maybe it was a good thing I wasn’t like them. I didn’t have any special quirks or fears. I was just trying to survive and keep my head down. But being surrounded by these people made me realize that maybe I wasn’t as alone as I thought. We all had our baggage, our secrets.

I took another sip of my coffee, feeling the slight burn of the alcohol in it. We were all here at Beacon for a reason, and I knew that sooner or later, we’d have to face our pasts, our fears, and whatever else this place threw at us.

“Where are you from Azu?” Sumire asked her.

“Land of Darkness,” Azu answered. I spit out my coffee.

“What?” Dan asked, his burrito fell to the floor and the hot sauce landed in my eyes. Good thing I'm wearing contacts.

“Yeah, my parents Horobi and Izu found me there,” Azu told us. Sumire stirred her tea.

I didn't say anything, my father told me that his mother met his father there. I wasn't expecting that Azu came from where The Grimm was born.

“Your Father is Horobi, as in Hobori the Greatest Fighter of Vale?” Dan didn't care about getting his space in my eyes.

“I realized something, Azu it sounds like As you.” Sumire joking about Azu's name pronunciation. I quickly took out my contacts and wiped off the hot sauce.

I dropped my contacts. “Hey Gold Senpai?” Azu called me. “Is everything alright?”

I was looking for my contacts. “Yeah everything is fine, I dropped my contacts.” I just exposed something about myself.

“You wear contacts?” Dan looked at me.

I didn't answer and I heard a crunching sound under my left knee. Great, just great, I broke my contacts.

I stared at the broken pieces of my contacts under my knee. For a moment, I just sat there, processing the situation. There was no point in hiding it anymore.

“Yeah, I wear contacts to see,” I admitted, my voice flat. I didn’t offer any further explanation, didn’t elaborate on the reason or the silver eyes beneath them. It wasn’t something I felt like sharing, not with everything else going on.

Dan looked at me, a mix of surprise and curiosity in his eyes. “Why didn’t you just say so?”

I shrugged, not wanting to go into it. Some things were easier to keep to yourself, even in a place like Beacon where everyone had their baggage. The others didn’t push, though. They just accepted it, moving on to the next part of their meal or conversation.

Azu, for her part, didn’t seem to care at all. “Contacts or not, you’re still the same, Gold Senpai.”

I nodded, appreciating her nonchalance. It was easier that way, less pressure to explain myself. The conversation drifted away from me, back to Azu’s origins and the Land of Darkness, and I was glad to let it out in the open.

I sipped what was left of my coffee, letting the slight burn distract me from everything else. It was just another day at Beacon, and we all had our secrets to keep. I'm planning on taking my secrets to the grave. 

“So what classes do we have today?” Azu adds in.

I wish I kept my last set of contacts. Now I'm going to be blind till after school. This day can't get any better.

___________________

~Azu’s Perspective~

I looked at how Gold Senpai was not speaking. He must be embarrassed about breaking his contacts. “We have a few classes together: Dust application, Combat Training, and a class on Faunus.” Sumire putting her tea down.

I noticed how Gold Senpai—Corey—was unusually quiet, even for him. His usual stoic demeanor seemed more strained today. It must be because of his contacts. He’s always so careful about keeping them hidden. I could tell he was embarrassed about breaking them.

As I glanced over at him, I couldn’t help but notice how formal he and Dan looked in their uniforms. Corey despite his silence, had this air of seriousness about him, like he was always on guard. His uniform was crisp, every button in place, and even though he wasn’t trying to stand out, he somehow did. The way he carried himself, even when he thought no one was watching, was impressive.

Dan, on the other hand, had his uniform in a more casual state, yet still maintained a level of formality that was surprising. It was as if he was trying to balance between being laid-back and showing respect to the academy. Even with his usual bravado, he didn’t seem out of place in the stiff uniform. Something was reassuring about seeing them both like this, ready to take on the day, even if Corey was struggling with his vision.

“Gold Senpai, you look sharp in that uniform,” I said, trying to lift his spirits a little. “Don’t worry about your contacts too much; you’ll get through the day just fine.”

Dan gave a small grin. “Yeah, Corey, just follow my lead if you can’t see. I’ll make sure you don’t walk into any walls.”

Corey just nodded, his usual silence his only response. He might not be saying much, but I knew he appreciated the support. We were all in this together, after all.

“Why doesn't he say anything?” Dan looking at our team leader.

Gold turned to him. I could see where this was going, a kiss. I fantasize about human romance. Instead Gold took off in a huff. Dan looked at me. “We're not gay. We're both into women. I prefer my girls to be able to kick my ass.”

I saw a flamboyant student looking at us. “Oh honey, who was that?”

I knew this student as a human faggot as Dan calls them with the name of Josh. According to the records: His Semblance is magnetism and he uses a simple six-shooter.

“That was our team leader Gold Sempai,” I answered.

I looked at Josh, knowing that his personality might just be the thing to help Gold Senpai loosen up a bit. Despite Dan’s harsh nickname for him, I could see that Josh had a certain charm, one that might get through to Gold. He was bold, unapologetically himself, and sometimes that's what people like Gold needed—a little push to break out of their shell.

“Hey, Josh,” I said, giving him a knowing smile. “Why don’t you work your magic on Gold Senpai? He could use a bit of your… energy.”

Josh’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh honey, I’m on it. He won’t know what hit him.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself. This was going to be interesting. If anyone could get Gold to open up, it was Josh. And maybe, just maybe, it would be good for him. Sometimes, all you needed was a little bit of color in your life.